title: Customized staple fixation in hand and wrist surgery.
abstract: Fixation of small bones in the adult and the child's hands remains a challenge. The authors present a technique of bone fixation using customized staples made intraoperatively from K-wires (0.9-1.6 mm in diameter). Their specific purpose was to provide axial alignment and rotational stability for carpal bone fixation and for epiphysiodesis in phalanges. This technique was used in 14 cases (11 adult and three paediatric). No bone shattering, implant breakage, implant loosening or infection occurred. As K-wires are quite malleable, custom sized and shaped staples which follow the bone contours could be made to give a more exact fixation. All cases had satisfactory outcomes, achieving the preoperative objectives of bony fixation. This method is safe, precise and technically easy. It is also relatively cheap and only requires simple, standard instruments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Looi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chia
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kour
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Pho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000601:surgery*; D001174:Arthrodesis / Q000379:methods*; D001864:Bone Wires; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017792:Surgical Stapling; D016896:Treatment Outcome